A seven-year-old Fourways chess player has earned himself regional colours in Gauteng U8 division.
Dario John is a Grade 1 learner from Pinnacle College Kyalami. He was awarded for representing Johannesburg Metro with distinction at the 2021 inter-region competition held on 27 to 28 February this year.
Dario said he works hard every day to sharpen his skills in order to grow in the game and realise his dream to become a grandmaster in chess one day. “I train almost every day because I want to be a grandmaster one day or represent my country in the international competitions.”
Dario’s father, Costa John said his son started learning to set up the chessboard at the age of three and for about a year he just used to set up the board for his older brothers.
“At the age of four, Dario started learning how the pieces are moved. And it was only at the age of six years that we noticed his potential. His older brothers are keen chess players and taught him everything they know. But when he started beating them we signed him up with the Goforchess [Academy] in Bryanston and he started playing tournaments and doing advanced chess lessons,” Costa said.
“We encourage him to watch chess tutorials on YouTube and his skills have sharpened as a result of this. He is an avid player of online tournaments as well. Although we do encourage him to practise chess, we as parents also encourage him to have a balance between chess, schoolwork and playtime.”
